Back To December
by Dimitri's.Smexi.Shewolf
Summary: After Spokane, Dimitri left St. Vlads to give Rose some time to heal without him complicating things. He seemingly leaves without an explanation or apology, but come graduation night, that's what Rose is going to get. Crossed wires, jealousy and heartbreak just can't keep them apart. *Full Blood Sisters cast inside*
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, I'm back with a new story. I've had this kicking around for a while now, and I'm putting it up now in a fit of VAddiction!  
In case you don't know, all the main cast has now been released. EeeEeeEee! The full cast list will be at the bottom of this chapter.**

**Inspired by Back to December by Taylor Swift. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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"Christian!"  
Oh. Shit. I knew that voice.

"Aunt Tasha!"

I ducked through the crowd, hiding in a corner where I hoped no one would see me, but where, unfortunately, I could still hear the exchange going on.

Since when did Rose Hathaway run and hide, you might be wondering. Well, ever since the love of my life and previous mentor Dimitri Belikov upped and left to guard one of my best friends' aunt. Yes, I now classed Christian as that. He had been supportive after everything that had happened, though that didn't mean we didn't still annoy the hell out of each other. Maybe our improved relationship was down to the fact that I no longer took the piss out of him every opportunity I got.

I had changed, the fire that had always burned so bright within me had dimmed to just an ember, like the glow of a candle before it is put out completely. Despite this, I tried not to let it show too much, as it had upset Lissa to see me as I had been in the first few weeks, and she had to come first.

After Spokane, Dimitri decided that it was his fault that for everything that had happened. He said that he shouldn't have told me the information about Spokane, that I was his weakness and that clouded his judgement, meaning he could not guard Lissa when I was present.

So he had left me to go and guard Tasha, with my 'blessing'. Part of me regretted what I had said to him at the ski lodge, but the rest of me was happy that he was happy. That's what you get for loving someone unconditionally. I had tried to hate him at first, but it was impossible. It was simply impossible for my heart to register that emotion towards him, when he had hurt me to ultimately keep me and Lissa safe.  
_They come first._ I'd told her the truth about us, and though she'd been upset that I hadn't told her before, her guilt at being the thing to come between us outweighed any anger she might have felt.

Tasha's laugh broke me out of my thoughts, and I turned to face them. They were moving away from me, finally, but I was curious as to what they were saying. Just because I had to hide at my own graduation party, didn't mean I had to be kept out of the loop. I saw Lissa making her was over to Tasha and her boyfriend, and slipped into her head.

"Lissa! You look stunning." Tasha said, pulling Lissa into a hug.

"So do you Tasha. I'm so glad you could make it."

"What, miss my 3 favourite people's graduation party? That was never an option. Speaking of, where is Rose? I must congratulate her on that amazing Trial!"

Firstly, I was one of her favourite people. WTF? She certainly wasn't mine. Second, she had seen my Trial? But that meant that...

"So, Tasha, where's Dimitri?" asked Christian, scanning the room.

"Oh, he's here somewhere. He was looking for Rose. He wanted to tell her how amazing she was with that stunt on the bridge. I mean, he was her mentor, after all."

Ouch. That was obviously all I was to him, a former student. Lissa was thinking the same thing, and she looked for me quickly, checking to see if Dimitri had caught up with me yet. She saw me standing in the corner, and was about to come over; when she sensed someone walk up behind her.

"Dimka, did you find her?"

Ah, shit.  
Lissa spun round, nearly bumping into Dimitri's chest. He put a hand out to the the strangest thing happened. I was used to experiencing contact and emotion through Lissa, and it was like when she was with Christian, but in reverse. Through Lissa's mind, I could feel Christian's touches sending tingles through her skin, and knew how it made her feel. But in my mind, I was always sort of detached from it, like I was remembering a feeling. As Dimitri's skin came into contact with Lissa's, I felt fire burn, but Lissa noticed nothing. I realised that it was my own body, that I was currently not residing in, that felt the fire and electricity.

Lissa looked up into Dimitri's eyes, and I saw a brief shock in them before he composed himself. He had felt the electricity too, from touching Lissa, and was staring straight into her eyes. For a second, I felt mad with jealousy, but as I stared into those pools of chocolate brown, I felt the anger fade away, replaced by an intense longing. He was looking _through_ her eyes, straight into my soul.

There was an awkward silence between the group, until Christian broke it.  
"So, did you find Rose?"  
Dimitri snapped out of the daze, and replied that he hadn't been able to find me. As luck would have it, Stan walked past at that moment.

"You're looking for Hathaway? She's over there, in that corner." He pointed to my general direction, and through Lissa's eyes, I saw the edge of my red dress showing round the corner. Stan continued.  
"She looks kinda spaced out, probably on drugs or something. Trust her to take a party too far." With that, he walked off. How I hated that man.

Tasha spoke first. "Well, let's go and say hi, then, shall we?"

A message from Lissa came through the bond. _Rose, get out of here now. Dimitri and Tasha are coming your way. Leave through the door on your left, quickly."_

I didn't need to be told twice. Keeping close to the wall, I stepped out the door and disappeared into the cold night.

I stayed out there for about an hour, watching my graduation party through my best friend's eyes, since mine were currently occupied with tears. Eventually, I saw myself through Lissa's eyes as she stepped through the back door and made her way over to the bench where I was sitting, knees tucked up under my chin, arms wrapped around them as if I could somehow hold myself together.  
Just before I came back into my own head, I noticed that fortunately, my makeup hadn't smudged too badly. At least something was working in my favour tonight.

"Rose. I know you saw everything. I'm so sorry."

"S'not your fault." I mumbled, and she sat down beside me, stroking my back. I rested my head on her shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around me. After a little while, she pulled away and looked me in the eye.

"Come on, Rose. Let's go watch the karaoke." I shook my head.

"It will be fun. We can sing something if you like."

I laughed bitterly. If I sang something now, it would be something so depressing people would slit their wrists half way through my performance.

"Eddie dared Christian and Adrian to sing 'call me maybe' as a duet."

I cracked. "Well, that will be funny. But I just don't want to walk in there, have someone sing a romantic song, and see Dimitri and Tasha eating each other's faces off."

She looked at me with pity. "I doubt they will. I mean, they've been here 3 hours, and we haven't seen anything like that yet. You of all people should know how secretive about that sort of thing he is." She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth.  
"I'm sorry, Rose-"

"It's ok, really." I forced a smile. I didn't want pity; it was bad enough I could feel it through the bond without it being openly displayed.

"And anyway, if they do start, I'll ask Mia to drop a load of freezing water on their head."

I laughed, and then stood up. "Mia's here? I didn't realise."

"Yeah, let's go see her and say hi whilst we request her services."

**Thanks for reading. Please review :D**

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**Here it is- the full cast! ! !**

**Rose- Zoey Deutch  
Lissa- Lucy Fry  
Dimitri- Danila Kozlovsky  
Christian- Dominic Sherwood  
Mason- Cameron Monaghen  
Mia- Sami Gayle  
Jesse- Ashley Charles  
Natalie- Sarah Hyland  
Victor- Gabriel Byrne  
Tatiana- Joely Richardson  
Sonya- Claire Foy  
Kirova- Olga Kurylenko**

**PS. Well done to Denmark for winning Eurovision. Emmelie De Forest was amazing, and her song was beautiful :D (She reminded me of Lissa, and would make an awesome fangirl addition to the VA ranks. Did you hear that squeal when she won? :P) I loved her dress as well :)  
Everyone was great this year, it was a really high standard of music :D**

**Please review :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA. The song Back To December belongs to Taylor Swift.**

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_I laughed, and then stood up. "Mia's here? I didn't realise."_

"_Yeah, let's go see her and say hi whilst we request her services."_

* * *

As we were walking across the room towards the stage, we were intercepted by the very person I had been trying so hard to avoid. As my eyes met Dimitri's, a flash of electricity seemed to jolt through my body, causing my broken heart to jump back to life and start hammering like crazy.  
Seeing him through Lissa's eyes hadn't done him justice. He was still as beautiful as I remembered, though he looked like he needed a good night's sleep. Travelling had obviously kept him up last night, I refused to think about what else could have kept him up at night.

"Rose. I saw your Trial. You were amazing, by far the best novice there. Your mother must be so proud of you." His voice made me feel weak at the knees, but I forced myself to stay upright.

"She is. So is my father."

"You met him?"

"Yes, Guardian Belikov. How have you found guarding your new charge?" It killed me to ask the question, but it seemed my heart was determined to rip itself to pieces even more than it already had.

He looked uneasy. Good, serves him right for leaving me for Bitchface. "It's been...Different."  
I'll bet it has. Having a girlfriend you don't have to keep secret, and seeing her all the time. Bitch.  
I didn't have an answer to this, so we lapsed into uncomfortable silence.

"So, how are you enjoying your graduation party?" He asked, directed at both Lissa and I.

Ever the one to avoid awkward situations, she stayed silent. I wanted to answer _terrible_, but instead I said;  
"Fine." The universal code for when everything in life is shit, but you can't say that because the reason for your heartache is the one asking. "It's a nice night for it. Excuse me, I have to go and speak to Mia. The karaoke will be starting soon, and she wants us to be there. Have a nice night, Guardian Belikov."

With that I turned and stalked away, dragging Lissa with me. I thought I heard _Roza_, but it was quiet as a breath, and it wouldn't have been the first time I had imagined hearing his voice.

We met up with Mia, and Lissa told her our plan for Dimitri and Tasha. Mia laughed and agreed, and we all took a swig from the flask of vodka she had with her. Well, it was my last night before guarding Lissa non-stop, so I figured it would be ok to let go a bit. I needed to.

We were standing off to the side of the room. Lissa, Mia, Eddie and I were in a tight huddle, laughing our asses off at Christian and Adrian. Tasha was in deep conversation with my parents, as she had just been introduced to my new-found father. Dimitri was nowhere to be seen, thankfully.

Christian and Adrian left the stage, replaced by a brown-haired dhampir in a beautiful green dress, apparently confessing her love for a guy who had never realised it before, as she had never had the courage to tell him for fear of rejection. Her singing voice was beautiful, and I really hoped she got the guy. Someone deserved to be happy tonight.

I was close to tears as she left the stage, and told Lissa I wanted to go. As I turned to leave, I heard something that stopped me in my tracks.

"This is Dimitri Belikov, with Back to December."  
Whispers started up around me, due to the fact that an ex-Guardian of the school was going to sing, a Taylor Swift love song no less. I grabbed Lissa's hand, and she squeezed it back as we heard the opening music.

**I'm so glad you made time to see me  
**His voice washed over me, it was like honey and silk.**  
How's life? Tell me, how's your family?  
I haven't seen them in a while  
**I looked over to my parents, and saw them looking up the stage like everyone else in the room. Tasha had a look of disbelief on her face.**  
You've been good, busier than ever  
We small talk, work and the weather  
Your guard is up, and I know why  
**I looked up at him, and saw him looking straight into my eyes. That was when I realised he was singing to _me._**  
**That line was so true, I my guard had been up when I had just spoken to him, because the only other option would be to break down in tears in front of him. But he knew me too well to fool him.**  
Because the last time you saw me  
Is still burned in the back of your mind  
You gave me roses, and I left you there to die  
**The rose thing was kinda funny, if you didn't take it literally. He gave me a sad smile. Well, at least he knew how much he hurt me.**  
So this is me swallowing my pride  
Standing in front of you, saying I'm sorry for that night  
And I go back to December all the time  
**_December_. The day we came back from the ski trip, back at school when I was still recovering from Spokane, when I needed him more than ever.

**It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you  
Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine  
**I could hear a group of Dhampirs behind me whispering to each other.  
_Who do you think he's talking about? Was it another one of the teachers? Whoever she was, lucky her, I mean Guardian Belikov! Yeah, but her left her! What a douche. _Well, they'd be in for a surprise later.**  
I go back to December, turn around and make it alright  
I go back to December all the time  
**That makes 2 of us.**  
These days, I haven't been sleeping  
**I remembered how he looked tired, maybe this was the reason.**  
Staying up, playing back myself leaving  
When your birthday passed, and I didn't call  
**That had hurt me so much. We had been waiting for my 18th, when we could legally be together, and my birthday had passed without so much as a text to acknowledge it. Your 18th was supposed to be happy, but it had been my worst birthday ever,**  
Then I think about summer, all the beautiful times  
I watched you laughing from the passenger side  
**This reminded me on the way to the Badica house, how the electricity between us had been so hard to ignore. I clung to those memories like lifelines; they were all that tied me to sanity now.**  
And realized I loved you in the fall  
**When Natalie had nearly killed me, and he admitted that he loved me. I heard Lissa and Mia's aawwws.**  
And then the cold came, the dark days  
When fear crept into my mind  
**Fear that he wouldn't be able to protect Lissa, that he wouldn't be able to give me everything I needed.**  
You gave me all your love, and all I gave you was goodbye****:]**

When he had left me, it had been clear that he hadn't known how much he had meant to me, how much I had changed because of him, how much I needed him.

**So this is me swallowing my pride  
Standing in front of you, saying I'm sorry for that night  
And I go back to December all the time**

**It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you**  
**Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine**  
**I go back to December, turn around and change my own mind**  
**I go back to December all the time**

**I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile**

Hearing this, I gave him a small smile, and he returned it.**  
So good to me, so right  
And how you held me in your arms that September night  
**Again the girls behind me were speculating about Guardian Belikov's secret love. Alberta's name came up, and I held back a laugh. They were standing right behind me, for crying out loud. What kind of Guardians would they be if they couldn't even follow his gaze to me?**  
The first time I ever saw you cry  
**I remember that. I had never cried over another guy, definitely not in front of them.**  
Maybe this is wishful thinking  
Probably mindless dreaming  
But if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right  
**Lissa turned to me, grinning, shaking her head in disbelief. I did the same, but couldn't bring myself to allow more hope into me, if was only going to be stripped away.**  
I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't  
**The walls holding back hope broke, and light radiated through me. Maybe, just maybe, we would have another chance.**  
So if the chain is on your door, I understand  
**As if I could ever lock him out. Whatever he did, I would always welcome him back. There was no way I could not.**  
This is me swallowing my pride  
Standing in front of you, saying I'm sorry for that night  
And I go back to December**

**It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you**  
**Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine**  
**I go back to December, turn around and make it alright**  
**I go back to December, turn around and change my own mind**

This is what I had wishing for, dreaming of since he left. Him running back to me and telling me that he had changed his mind. For the first time in my life, _**I**__ came first._**  
I go back to December all the time, all the time**

The music stopped, and he walked off the stage, the opposite side to where I was waiting, handing the microphone to the guy waiting by the curtain.

A few seconds later I saw him making his way through the crowd, ignoring the whispers and people trying to get his attention on either side of him. As I pushed through the people to get to him, nobody gave me a second thought, as many people were doing the same thing, including the Dhampirs behind me. People realised something was going on when we were about 10 paces from each other, and we both stopped.

As if sensing something was going on, the few people still between us moved to the side. His eyes met mine, instantly turning my insides to mush and my legs to jelly. We both took one more step forward, and the whispers surrounding us increased in volume. I saw my mum and Abe fighting their way forward, but they would never get here in time to ruin this moment for me. Lissa left to intercept them, sending me a message through the bond. _Go on._

Dimitri's hand moved at his side, like he wanted to reach out to me, but he restrained it. I wasn't sure if I should move forward or not. With one pained word, the decision was taken out of my hands.  
_"Roza..."_

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**What's going to happen now, in front of the whole school? And Rose's parents?  
Reviews make faster updates :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi again everyone, I'm sorry for not updating for so long! I completely forgot about this story for a bit, I thought I'd finished it :3  
This is the last chapter of this story :( But I have another short one that I'll be putting up soon, 'Just a Dream' and ALS and Next Generation are still ongoing, so head over to one of those and have a read if you want :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy. Richelle Mead does.**

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_Dimitri's hand moved at his side, like he wanted to reach out to me, but he restrained it. I wasn't sure if I should move forward or not. With one pained word, the decision was taken out of my hands.  
"Roza..."_

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I sprinted the remaining distance between us, and threw myself at him. He caught me and wrapped his strong arms around my waist, holding me a couple of inches off the floor. My arms were around his neck, holding on so I didn't fall, holding on so he knew he could never leave me behind again. My head was resting on his shoulder and I breathed deeply, his scent making me forget everything else in the world. He gripped me back just as tightly, and I looked up into his eyes that I had missed so much, and a silent message passed between us. _I am never letting you go again._

Our lips crashed together and moved in perfect synchronisation. In that moment all the pain of the last 4 months faded away, the familiar electricity running between us everywhere our skin touched. I felt complete, the piece of me that was missing was here again, and we fit perfectly together.

After a time that felt like eternity but wasn't nearly long enough, a message came through the bond.  
_Uh, Rose...incoming. _

We pulled back, again in synchronisation. A breathtaking smile lit up Dimitri's face, and I had a feeling a similar one graced my own lips.

He put me down, and I wrapped one arm around his waist, the other hand against his chest, where I rested my head. I sighed and whispered "I missed you, Dimitri."

He kissed the top of my head, and his breath ruffled my hair as he spoke. "I missed you too, Roza. I love you."

"I love you too, Comrade."

Somebody coughed, and I was suddenly very aware of everyone around me. The whole scene had probably taken less than a minute, and I guess the shock had kept people quiet. That was wearing off now, and people began to talk loudly, shouting to be heard over each other, when in truth I couldn't actually pick out a word that anyone was saying. I reluctantly pulled away from Dimitri, and turned to face the crowd. Everybody was silent once more.

"Well? Don't you people have lives of your own? Stop staring and go live them, perverts!"  
Though I didn't really expect it to work, a lot of people turned around and left, though I knew it was just to go and gossip behind my back. Not like I cared, it was kinda normal for me. At least this time it's true.

As the remaining crowd dissipated, into my line of sight stepped a 5 foot hurricane, her face as red as her hair. Legendary Guardian Janine Hathaway. My mother.

Now was one of those times I wished Dimitri had taught me to swear in Russian, because no swearwords I knew seemed to do this situation justice. Still, I used a few favourites in my head, as I pushed Dimitri behind me slightly, but still held onto the hand I had taken hold of when we pulled apart.

As my mom began to step forward, however, Lissa moved in front of her, blocking the way. There were hushed, harsh whispers, until my mum shot me a glare that should have pinned me to the floor and stomped off back to Abe.

Through the bond, I could feel that Lissa had convinced her not to make a scene in public. She had agreed, but only after Lissa used some mild compulsion on her. One thing was for sure, though. We had to leave before she broke through it. Yeah, we were putting off the inevitable, but I didn't care. I had Dimitri back, and that was all that mattered right now.

I closed the door behind me, not letting go of Dimitri's hand. We hadn't yet broken contact since the kiss, and I didn't intend to yet. We walked in silence over to the bench I had sat crying on earlier, just enjoying the other's company. He sat down first and pulled me into his lap. I buried my head in his chest, pulled myself as close to him as possible with my arms around his waist. He held me just as tight, and I wanted to stay like this forever. We did for a little while, until I pulled away and looked up at him.

He was just staring down at me with wonder in his eyes, like he couldn't quite believe I was here. Hell, I couldn't believe he was here.  
I must have said the last part out loud, because he sighed.

"I know, Roza. I'm so sorry for leaving you. I thought it was best for you. I regretted my decision even before I made it, and when I saw your face when I said I was leaving, I wanted to take it back, but it was too late. I was leaving that day, and you ran away from me before I could finish explaining. So I left with Tasha, and with every step I took away from you, my heart broke a little more. I planned to come back after you'd had some time to heal after Spokane, I just thought you could do with some time without me complicating your life. But I explained all that in the note."

"Wait, what note?" I asked.

Dimitri looked confused. "The one I in your room, the just before I left. After you ran away before I could finish explaining, I left a note for you, promising I would be back. You never got it?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Tasha must have taken it." I realised.  
Dimitri growled in response, looking like he wanted to beat her up.  
"Anyway, carry on. Bitch screwed with us, what happened after you left?"

His face softened and he continued quietly, "For 2 weeks I felt like this, terrible for leaving you, terrible for breaking your heart. Then Tasha told me she got a phone call from Christian, who mentioned that you had moved on and were with Adrian. I thought you were happy without me, and that is why I didn't come back then like I had been planning on doing." I had been quiet up until now, but I couldn't hold back after that.

"What? I never moved on, and definitely not with that creep. I mean, yeah, he's a friend now, and a good one, but never anything more. However much he may have wanted it. I always loved you, I will always love you. I'm not going to let that jealous bitch take you away from me. Of course I forgive you for leaving me. There was never anything to forgive, not really. You did what you thought was best for me, for us. I love you, Dimitri." That look of wonder was on his face again, and he leaned down and kissed me. It was slow and soft, soothing after the betrayal I felt. He ended the kiss.

"Though I don't know why you do, I know you do. After their song, I went and asked Adrian how you were, if you were happy with him. He looked at me like I was crazy, and told me that you were still in love with me, 'though he couldn't work out why, because I was such an asshole'". He quoted. "I asked Christian about the call, and he said he hadn't spoken to Tasha since she left, because he knew that you would be upset, and she hadn't bothered calling him. So I realised that she had been lying to me, and knew I had to make everything alright, because I had hurt you." He sounded appalled with himself, like the thought of hurting me sickened him. "Christian went to confront Tasha, which is why she wasn't in the way of our..." He searched for a word. "Reunion."

What a bitch. She had deliberately kept Dimitri away from me so she could have him for herself. Then an unpleasant thought hit me.

"Did you and Tasha ever... were you..." I couldn't get the words out. For a second he looked confused, then understanding flashed in his eyes and he looked shocked.

"Rose, no! I love you, No one else could ever compare to you. You're beautiful, amazing, and have a light and determination in you that I've never seen in anyone else before. You have so much compassion; you would do anything to protect the people you love, even with the small things, even if you hurt yourself in the process. You're the only one in the world like that, which is why I will always love you, and never anyone else. You are my soul mate. This is further proved by the fact that you forgave me for leaving you. I swear it will never happen again."

My heart swelled with happiness, and I felt like I was going to start crying. Once upon a time I would have thought that was incredibly cheesy, but now, I knew the truth. I reached up and gently touched his cheek, running my fingers over the smooth skin. He was so perfect.

"You're wrong." He looked at me, concerned. I laughed, and explained. "I'm not the only person like that in the world."

"You are, Roza. No one compares to you."

I smiled and shook my head. "One person does. The soul mate of that amazingly awesome person has to be equally awesome, otherwise it would be unfair."

He laughed, understanding finally. "If you say so. It's probably in my best interests to agree with you on this." Clueless man.

"Comrade, it's _always_ in your best interests to agree with me."

"Yes Roza." He agreed, leaning closer.

"Good boy."I said, closing the remaining distance between us.  
When we broke apart for air, we were both breathing heavily.

"I love you, Roza. I'm sorry for leaving, and I'm sorry that I missed your 18th birthday. I will make it up to you, I swear. Anything you want." He looked so sincere, and I leaned into the hand that was cupping my face, and kissed it.

"I have you here. What more could I possibly ever want or need? You are my everything, Dimitri. Just promise you'll never leave me." I know he had already said that, but I needed to hear it again. "I can't lose you again."

"I promise to never leave you. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you, and trying to erase all the pain and sadness that you have ever felt. I will always be here for you, and never let anything or anyone hurt you. я тебя люблю, I love you, my beautiful Roza. So much it hurts me."

My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. I pressed as close to Dimitri as I could, feeling perfectly happy. I listened to his heartbeat; steady, but faster than usual. It was my new favourite sound, better even than hearing him say 'I love you', because the heart couldn't lie.

"I love you too, Dimitri. Forever and always." His heart beat even faster, and met his lips for a kiss. He smiled against my lips.

"Forever and always."

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**Aaw, fluffy goodness ^.^ Stupid Tasha. **

**Well, that's the end. Unless you wanted some sort of epilogue, then I could probably do one tying up the loose ends. **

**Review and tell me what you think :) **


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